Looping attachment for looms



A ril 5, 1938. J. s. KENNARY LOOPING ATTACHMENT FOR LOOMS Filed April 8,1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l A l l l 1 l I I INVENTOR. James S/lurlg Kenna/ ymxfiz w ATTORNEY .5.

April 5, 1938. J. s. KENNARY LOOPING ATTACHMENT FOR LOOMS 5 Sheets-Shet2 Filed April 8, 1956 INVENTOR. James dbu /y ffen nary ATTORNEYS.

J. S. KENNARY LOOPING ATTACHMENT FOR LOOMS April 5, 1938.

Filed April 8, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR.

James Shady finnary Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT oFFmEClaims.

This invention relates to improvements in looms and more particularly toa novel method of and apparatus for looping a Weft thread about a warpthread in the manufacture of cloth.

5 A primary object of this invention is to provide a new and improvedmethod of and apparatus for looping a weft thread about a selvedge warpthread. The invention is adapted to loop the threads with a minimumamount of strain upon the threads and without causing the weft thread tomove substantially from the plane of the warp threads of the cloth beingformed. The device is easily and economically constructed and the partsare easily replaced when desired.

The embodiment of the invention described herein is particularly adaptedfor the weaving of narrow fabrics but it is to be understood that theprinciples of this invention are applicable to the formation of widerfabrics.

More particularly, the invention is especially adapted for those weavingdevices in which an oscillating needle or arm feeds the weft threadthrough the shed of warp threads and operates j in conjunction with abobbin which feeds a 95 selvedge thread to the cloth being formed. The

invention comprises novel mechanism for bodily shifting the bobbin froma position on one side of the plane of the needle to a position on theother side of the plane of the needle. This operation is so synchronizedby novel operating devices that the weft thread is advanced by theneedle past one side of the bobbin and is returned on the other sidethereof thus looping the weft thread about the selvedge thread.

More specifically, the novel mechanism comprises a pair of arcuatesurfaces or rollers contactingly engaging one another on theirperipheries and arranged to bodily shift the bobbin in timed relation tothe movement of the weft feeding needle. The weft thread is caused bythe needle to pass between these contacting surfaces and in this mannerpass the weft thread from one side of the bobbin to the other. Thebobbin is bodily shifted before return movement of the 5 weft feedingneedle so that the Weft is carried past the bobbin on the opposite sideof the selvedge thread which is fed therefrom. By this novel mechanismthe weft thread is looped around the warp thread.

50 A meritorious feature of this invention is the fact that a pluralityof these looping attachments may be secured upon the framework of a loomand all be operated from a single movable easily controlled element.These looping attach- 55 ments are readily secured to the framework ofany. standard type of loom. They are designed for attachment to a loomwithout altering the structure of the loom to any great extent. Thelooping device itself is supported upon a flat'plate which is readilysecured to the breast beam-of a loom. When a plurality of such devicesis desired upon a loom, they may be mounted in a row upon the breastloom and all be operated by a reciprocating member or other suitablemechanism extending below and parallel with 10 the breast beam.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious featureswill further appearfrom the following specification, appended claims and accompanyingdrawings, wherein: 15

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the looping device showingfits positionupon the framework of a loom, v

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the looping device along line 22 ofFig. 1, 20

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 Fig- 1.:

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 5 of Fig. 4. r

Referring in detail to the drawings, the breast beam of a standard loomis indicated at H]. Across the upper surface of the breast beam is ledthe Woven material or cloth I2 as it is formed. 30 As is the usualpractice, the warp threads of the cloth are controlled by heddles toform a shed. The filler or weft thread is carried through the shedbetween operations of the heddles. In the embodiment illustrated herein,a curved needle 35 [4 passes the filler or ,weft thread 16 back andforth through the shed. The weft thread is looped around the selvedgewarp thread along the right hand margin of the cloth material l2 by theaction of the heddles transferring the al- 4 ternate leaves of warpthreads to reverse position. The weft thread I6 is looped around theselvedge warp. thread along the left margin of the cloth material by thenovel looping device to r be hereinafter described.

Fixed upon the breast beam is a fiat plate I8. Securedto this plate bysuitable means is a support or bracket 20 which extends below and fromone side of thebreast beam to the other as shown in Fig. 2. Rotatablyjournalled in the breast beam and upon the bottom of the bracket is avertical shaft 22. The needle I4 is fixed to this shaft above the platel8 as indicated in Fig. 2 Rotation of the shaft swings the needle in anarcuate path through the shed and across tially through the the top ofthe plate as the various dotted sitions in Fig. 1 indicate.

The needle is provided with a peripheral groove 24 through which theweft thread I6 is fed. One end of the groove opens through an aperture26 for receiving the weft thread from a suitable source of supply. Theother end of the needle is apertured on its under side at 28. forfeeding the weft thread to the cloth material.

The selvedge warp thread-30 is fed from a bobbin located within acylindrical holder or housing 32 arranged in a novel manner for bodilymovement through a hole in the plate l8.

The bobbin is not shown but it is understood that the cylinder containsanysuitabletype of;

bobbin. The selvedge thread 30 is deliveredfrom an aperture. in the sideof the.,-bobbin -holder1 32. When the top of the bobbin,holderisin vlowered position its top surface is flush with the upper surface of theplate I8 and formsa part thereof as indicated in Fig. 2. In its fullyraised position the-bobbin holderis lifted completely v out of the holein the plate as indicated in Fig. 3.1", Thetop-of the bobbin holder maybe arranged," for removal'so that access; may be had to the interiorthereof.

Mechanism for reciprocating the bobbin holder comprises a novel deviceemploying a point contact as the means for raising'and lowering thebobbin. More specifically the -device comprises a pair of arcuatesurfaces or rollers-36 and '38 tom portion of the bobbin holder-as appeain.

the drawingsand is rotatably supported about a pin 40. Thepin-40-supportsthe roller so-that; tapered housing its periphery extendsbelow the within which it is-contained. Theroller 38 has a barrelformation, the curved side portions of.

which are the only 'part of the roller which extend above the level ofthe plate [8 as shown in Fig. 3. Roller38 is rotatably'supported about;a pin 42 which is rotatably journaled in thegsid'e walls-of a cup-shapedmember '44:-

The member 44 is provided with a tube. or, sleeve 46 having-spiralgrooves ;48--'on its inner surfacewhich cooperatively engage with thespiral. teeth 58 on the rotatable vertical I shaft 52. Shaft-52 isfixed-against longitudinalmovement" but is free to rotate by a journalsupport on the'bottom of the supporting bracket 20. The

journal comprises a peripheral groove 56'. sleeve isfree to moveverticallykup and down within certain limits but is restrained againstrotation. The sleeve and member '44 is held against rotation by theprovision of squared shoulders 58:-arranged diametrically on oppositesidesof the member 44. These shoulders slidpin 54 extending tangenablyfit i within correspondingly shaped guideways 68,. These guideways aresupported in anyde sired manner from'the'side, and end wall portions ofthe bracket 28.

islikewise provided with ingly, when. the shaft 52 is rotated, thespiral teeth 50. drive the sleeve either up or'down de-' pending uponthe direction of its rotation. The sleeve 4631s limited in'its downwardmovement The bobbin holder 32f squared shoulders 62, which are adaptedto fit into the guideways 68 when thebobbinisinlowered position. This isby the laterally extending member or ledge 64 which engages with theunderside of the member 44 as indicated in Fig. 2. This ledge forms partof the support for the guideways 60.

In order to retain the bobbin holder 32 in position, superimposing theroller 38 and in proper alignment with the guideways G0, a bracket 66 issecured to the plate l8 and arranged to partly overhang the hole throughwhich the bobbin holder reciprocates. The bracket is provided with apair of vertical pins 68 each of which is adapted to entera hole boredthrough one of the squared shoulders 58 on the bobbin holder as is shownin Figs. 3 and 4. The pins 68..are,of such a length that when the bobbinholder is raised above the plate 18 the pins 68 enter their respectiveholes in the shoulders 'of theholder prior to the time the shouldersleave the guideways 60. The holder is therefore kept at aIltimes inproper alignment. The overhanging part of the bracket 68 performs the.additional'function of limiting the upward movement of thepsleeve andbobbin holder assembly.

relation to the needle operation by mechanism which-will now bedescribed. Extending trans-- versely- 'to the supporting bracket 20 andbelow and parallel with'the breast beam [8 is a reciprocating member orbar 18; This bar is provided with an' upstanding pin ,12-which isengaged in a slot" "provided in an arm 16which is fixed to the shaft 22as indicated in Fig. 4. It is obvious that reciprocation of the bar 18will swing the arm'back' and forth and oscillate the needle acorrespondingamount. The extreme limits of this movement are shown bythe dotted posi- .tions of the arm 16 in Fig. 4.

Extending downward from the member 'lfl'are two pins "l8- and!!!)whichare positioned equal distances on o-pposite sides of the pin 12 asindi cated in Fig. 5. Each of these pins 18 and are adapted to engagewith an arm 82 and oscillate the same. 'These pins engage the arm 82alternately and only fora part of their total distance of movement. Arm82 is, pivoted at,

to the bracket28; The opposite end of the arm is shaped withanarcuate-gear segment 86 havingengagement with a geared section 88 onthe base 'of-the'shaft 52. It is obvious that rocking,

movement of the arm 82 will rotate the shaft either in-one direction orthe other and correspondingly raise or lower the bobbin holder.

The pins la-and 80' are positioned in sucha. manner along bar 18 thatthey cause the bobbin to rise above the plane of the needle when thelatterswings in one direction across the plate and to lower'the bobbinbelow the plane of the needle. when the same returns so that the weft orfiller thread I 6'is causedto be passed between V the contacting rollers36 and 38 whenthe bobbin is in raised position and to be returned acrossthe top of-the bobbin when the latter is in low-. cred-position. Thisacts toloopthe weft thread l6 about the selvedge warp thread 38...

In the embodimentillustrated therein, and as bestdescribe din' Fig. 1,the bobbin is raised. to 7 upper position by the pin 80 striking the arm82 when the needle is completing its withdrawal movement from the shed.The bar 10 reciprocates to the right to accomplish this movement and thespiral shaft 52 rotates in a, direction con-.

trary'to the arrow in Fig. 3. When the bar 10.

moves toward the; left or in the directionof the.

arrow in Fig. 1 the pin iw disengages from con- 1 tact'withf'the-arm 82'andthe latteris left free.

or stationary until pin 18 catches up and thrusts the arm in thedirection of movement of. the bar 70.

In the meantime the needle, being in constant engagement with the memberN1 through the medium of the pin l2 and arm it, is swung through theshed and partially acrossthe plate. As shown in full lines in Fig. l,the needle has just passed the weft thread i5 under the bobbin holderand between the rollers 36 and 38. This passes the weft under theselvedge thread 30. As the needle continues to move in counter-clockwisedirection, pin 18 engages arm 82 and swings the arm to the dottedposition in Fig. 1, the movement causing the shaft 52 to rotate in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and lowering the bobbinholder assembly. The respective positions of the pins I2, 18 and 80, asthis swinging movement of the arm 82 is accomplished, is shown in theirdotted positions to the left of their full line positions in Fig. 4.When the needle reaches the end of its swing to the left in Fig. l. thebobbin is in its lowest position below the surface of the plate i8.Return movement of the needle carries the weft thread 16 over the bobbinand the selvedge thread thus looping the former about the latter.

To assist in the delivery of the selvedge thread to the cloth beingformed, the hole in which the bobbin holder reciprocates is slightlywidened at 55 and beveled to permit the free run of the thread. Ifdesired, the selvedge thread may be first run through a thread tightenerof any well known type which may be fixed to the holder either in theinterior or upon the exterior of the bobbin holder. In the latter case,the hole in the plate through which the bobbin holder reciprocates maybe widened for this purpose if necessary.

The bobbin holder assembly is preferably constructed of light weightmetal. This will relieve the weight of the assembly upon the weft threadand permit an easy passage between the rollers 38 and 38. In theembodiment of the invention illustrated the rollers are mounted aboutaxes extending parallel to the breast beam. The weft thread is carriedto the rollers in a line at a slight angle to the axes of the rollers.This will not affect the passage of the thread between the rollers butit is obvious that if thought desirable, the axes of the rollers couldbe turned so that the weft thread passed between the contacting rollerson a line parallel with their axes.

In the raised position of the bobbin assembly it is desirable to havethe point of contact of the rollers on substantially the same plane asthe weft thread carried thereto by the needle. This minimizes the dangerof the weft thread catching on any object other than the curved contoursof the rollers. The large curvature of the barrel roller 38 assists indirecting the weft thread between the contact points of the rollers. Thetapered construction of the bottom of the bobbin holder also insuresthat the weft thread is directed to the peripheral contact of therollers.

To insure that the bobbin holder assembly will be retained in raisedposition until returned by the action of the pin 18, means is providedfor yieldingly bearing upon the connection between the bar and spiraldrive for the assembly. Any suitable means may be provided. Asillustrated in the drawings, this means comprises a coil spring 92bearing upon the under surface of the segment gear 85 in such a positionthat it always bears on this surface regardless of the position it maytake in its path of movement. The coil spring is supported in verticalposition by a pin 94 which terminates a little short of the segmentgear. The spring 92, however, continues beyond the end of .the pin andfrictionally bearsv upon the segment gear.

A series of looping devices of the character described herein can beattached in a row upon the breast beam of any standard loom. They may beoperated from a single reciprocating bar or other suitable mechanismextending parallel with the breast beam. This mechanism or bar may be inturn operatively coupled with the lathe which swings the reed or comband operates in timed relation thereto.

What I claim:

1. In combination with a loom having a breast beam and heddles forforming sheds in the warp threads of the cloth being formed, a threadlooping attachment comprising a flat plate secured to said beam, aneedle pivotally secured to said plate for oscillation and arranged topass a filler thread back and forththrough the shed, and to partiallyoverlie the surface of said plate for a part of its movement, a bobbinfor supplying selvedge thread to the cloth being formed, said bobbinbeing mounted for bodily movement from a position below the surface ofsaid plate to a position spaced above the surface of the plate, meansfor bodily moving said bobbin including a pair of rollers contactinglyengaging one another by their peripheries and forming the sole supportof the weight of said bobbin when the same is moved, said needlearranged to pass said filler thread between said rollers when the bobbinis in position spaced from the surface of said plate and to return thefiller thread past the bobbin when the same has moved to position belowthe surface of said plate whereby said filler thread is looped aboutsaid selvedge thread.

2. In a loom, the combination with a frame and a shed forming mechanismfor the warp threads of the cloth being produced, of means for carryinga filler thread back and forth through the shed, a fiat plate secured tosaid frame adjacent said shed and arranged so that said means sweepsacross its surface for a portion of its movement, means for supplying aselvedge warp thread to the cloth being formed, said plate having a holetherethrough, means mounting said selvedge thread supplying means forbodily reciprocal movement in said hole and from a position below thesurface of the plate to a position spaced above the surface of saidplate, means for reciprocating said selvedge thread supplying meansincluding a pair of contacting elements adapted in one position of theirreciprocal movement to have their point of contact above the surface ofsaid plate, said filler thread supplying means adapted when sweepingacross said plate to carry the filler thread between the contactsurfaces of said elements when the latter are above the surface of theplate and to return the filler thread past said bobbin when the latteris below the surface of said plate whereby the filler thread is loopedabout said selvedge thread.

3. In combination with a loom having a breast lyoverlie. the surface. ofsaid plate for a part of its movement, said plate having a holetherethrough adjacentlthepath of movement of said needle and acrosswhichthe filler thread fed thereby is. adapted .to be passed, a bobbin forsupplying selvedge thread to the fabric goods be-'.

ing formed, means for reciprocating said bobbin throughthe hole providedinsaid plate in timed relationship to the movementof said needle andfroma position below the surface of said plate beam ,andheddles: forforming. sheds in the .warp: threads of the cloth being formed, a thread.loop,-.

ing attachment therefor comprising a 'fiat plate securedto said breastbeam, a needle adaptedsto pass a filler thread back and :forth through,said, shed andtorswing; over the surface of. said plate in closejuxtaposition thereto, said platerhavingza hole therethrough adjacentthe path of movement of said needle'and'across which the fillerthreadfed therefrom is passed, a, bobbin for supplying selvedge thread to thecloth being formed, means for reciprocating saidbobbinthrough :the holeprovided in saldplatein timedrelationship to the swinging movement; ofsaid needle across;

the surface of the plateand from a. position below the surface of saidplate to a position spaced above the surface of said plate, said needleadaptedin one direction of its movement to pass the filler thread acrossthe hole in the plate when the bobbin .isbelow the surface thereof andadapted upon return movement to pass the filler thread across the holein the plate when the bobbin is in spaced relationship thereabove.

5. In combination with a loom having a breast beam andlheddles forforming sheds in the warp threads of the cloth being formed, athreadlooping attachment therefor comprising a flat plate secured to the topof said breast beam and provided with arhole therethrough, a needleadapted to feed'a filler thread back andforth through said shed and toswing closely over the top surface of said plate for a portion of itsmovement, the filler thread fed 'by said needle sweeping across aportion of the top surface of said plate and back and forth across thehole extending therethrough, a bobbin for supplying selvedge thread tothe cloth being formed, means mount- 2 ing said bobbin for verticalreciprocating movement through thehole in said plate from a positionwholly below the top. surface thereof to a position spaced above the topsurface, and means underneath said plate for reciprocating said bobbinintimedrelationship tothe swinging movement of said needle, said needleadapted in one direction of its movement to pass the filler threadacross the hole in said plate when the bobbin is in lowered positionbeneath the top surface there- .i'i

of and, in its other direction of movement to pass the filler threadback across the hole when the bobbin is in spaced relationship above thesurface of said plate.

JAMES SHURLY 'KENNARY.

